Rallies and protests will take place from coast-to-coast, with especially large demonstrations planned in Washington, D.C.

Deirdre Fulton, staff writerCommon Dreams

March 07, 2017

Those who cannot walk off the job or boycott unpaid labor are encouraged to wear red in solidarity. Rallies and protests will take place from coast-to-coast, with especially large demonstrations planned in Washington, D.C.

Dozens of schools are closing, rallies are planned, and women everywhere will take action on Wednesday in observance of International Women's Day and in defiance of a patriarchal society that's been emboldened, at least in the United States, by the right-wing Trump administration.

According to the Huffington Post, "schools up and down the East Coast have announced they will be closed on Wednesday as their teachers, the vast majority of whom are women, participate" in A Day Without A Woman, which is taking place in solidarity with the International Women's Strike.

The impact on schools "will...remind the public how essential women are to education," wrote HuffPo reporters Laura Bassett and Catherine Pearson, who noted: "More than three-quarters of kindergarten through high school teachers in the United States are women. Entire school districts are unable to operate without them."

In Alexandria, Virginia, for example, more than 300 teachers reportedly requested leave for Wednesday, leading superintendent Alvin Crawley to close schools for the day. A similar decision was made in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where superintendent Jim Causby informed parents that after surveying school principals to see how many teachers would be absent, it was his "determination that we will not have enough staff to safely run our school district."

BuzzFeed further reported Tuesday that "[a]t the University of California, Berkeley, at least 30 professors and instructors will either take their classes to a demonstration in support of the strike or will not hold 'business as usual' classes, according to Natalia Brizuela, an associate professor there involved with the day's organizing."

Meanwhile, rallies and protests will take place from coast-to-coast, with especially large demonstrations planned in Washington, D.C.—one outside the U.S. Department of Labor in support of women workers, and another in front of the White House in opposition to President Donald Trump's reinstatement of the so-called global gag rule, which blocks U.S. aid to organizations that provide, support, or discuss abortion.

A sizeable march and rally is also expected to happen in New York City.

Those who cannot take to the streets are encouraged to wear red in solidarity, boycott all but small, women- or minority-owned businesses, and stay engaged on social media.

"Let Wednesday be the day that we find each other (look for the red!) and commit to acting in solidarity," National Domestic Workers Alliance director Ai-jen Poo wrote Tuesday. "We can leverage our untapped power to take back our democracy and make our economy work for women—and our loved ones—once and for all."

For those participating by striking, Women's March organizers provided an "out-of-office" email response template; the website Mashable did the same, offering 13 potential responses ranging from straightforward to sardonic. (Number eight: "I will be striking on Wednesday March 8 on behalf of women. If you need to know why I can't help you so please email someone else.")

_________________________"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger."-John Trudell

This woman is going to put on her big girl panties tomorrow and do the job that she is paid to do. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank my lucky ducky stars that I was born in this great country and have had the opportunities that I have been provided.

If liberal women want to do something useful, instead of marching in protest because your candidate lost how about doing something that will actually help advance women.

Volunteer at an abused women's shelter, help an unemployed woman create a resume, show her how to dress for an interview, help her practice interviewing skills, offer to watch her kid(s) so she can canvas potential employers to fill out applications, or maybe even tutor her.

If liberal women want to do something useful, instead of marching in protest because your candidate lost how about doing something that will actually help advance women.

Volunteer at an abused women's shelter, help an unemployed woman create a resume, show her how to dress for an interview, help her practice interviewing skills, offer to watch her kid(s) so she can canvas potential employers to fill out applications, or maybe even tutor her.

Frankly, I'm stunned by your comment.

If you actually believe "liberal women" are unconnected nor long-involved with these and numerous other such day to day needs you are def out of touch with reality.

_________________________"Everything that has ever happened to us is there to make us stronger."-John Trudell

https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-out-1488915866?mod=e2twoLos Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum places Wednesday’s events in “the fine tradition of taking something that worked before and milking it to the point of uselessness or maybe self-parody.” In the latter category, it seems that organizations most affected by the strike are public school systems in politically liberal jurisdictions.

Guess Which Female Workers Will Be No-Shows on "A Day Without a Woman"?Yup, public-school teachers. Because they'll get paid anyway, at taxpayer expense. Who cares about the kids?

Ms. Daum points out that women are now roughly half the labor force. “All things being equal (which is what we’re after, right?), we are too essential to play hooky,” writes Daum. “That’s why the idea that women should take a day off en masse to make a political point is both self-defeating and vaguely insulting.”

Which now makes it that much more dysfunctional and idiotic. You were not given much encouragement in your upbringing were you?Find out the meaning of the term "Hand that rocks the cradle, rule the world" I'm still stuck on the fact that any women would posses such demeaning and uncharacteristic behavior such as yours.

I'm still shell shocked that Lucky is a women for they tend to be more nurturing (which is one of the primary reason we men have a caring side) They taught us patience, gave us the benefit of the doubt through unconditional love and the list goes on. My Dad was my hero and gave me the tools to make it in life but MOMS?

At any rate, so much for extending her libertarian "Live and Let Live" values to others.[/size]

I strongly encourage all Americans to do whatever it is they need to do. I was simply explaining my reasons for not participating. Although I do have to wonder at the lack of concern for all the working moms out there left with no day-care for their kids due to this "march". Sometimes those who profess to care about others are more self-centered than generally known.

As for the "plight" of women in the US, I am highly encouraged with what I see. The US is making great strides when it comes to opportunities for women, but more than that, women in the US are making good use of their opportunities. From Concernedwomen.org:

The U.S. has the highest proportion of women in senior management positions (43 percent) of any country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (women comprise 47 percent of the U.S. labor force); the U.S. was ranked eighth globally in gender equality by the World Economic Forum; 24 percent of working American women are in professional fields (compared to only 16 percent of working American men); 46 percent of American firms are owned or co-owned by women.

Great article that intelligently articulates many aspects of being a working women that are often overlooked when the numbers are crunched by those with an agenda. Like that fact that money is not the top priority for a lot of women as it usually is for men. Women are much more likely to prefer a balance of work and home and often happily pass on promotions or extra money in exchange for that balance.

I'm still shell shocked that Lucky is a women for they tend to be more nurturing (which is one of the primary reason we men have a caring side) They taught us patience, gave us the benefit of the doubt through unconditional love and the list goes on. My Dad was my hero and gave me the tools to make it in life but MOMS?

Some of us are completely fed up with continually being used as pawns in the quest for more power by the political class. When the "smart" people stand up and speak for all of us it irritates me. I am not a demographic and I will resist any attempt to be treated as one. I believe that we are all individuals who should be judged by the "content of our character" not our gender.

We agree, I think that I made myself perfectly clear when I espouse the fact my Dad was the head of our house but it was Mom who kept it running in an orderly fashion. In regard to gender, great marriages and relationships are based on mutual respect for one another as well a capitalizing on one another strengths while supporting each other when either is in a weakened position.

A personal question, I've been married for 38 years to one great women, care to give a simple answer to your marital status or do you choose to continue on the dissertations without the benefit of experience or actually living what you espouse?